It's the ultimate girls' getaway! For five days, 60 women join Oprah and her best friend Gayle King for the trip of a lifetime at the Miraval Life in Balance Resort and Spa in Tucson, Arizona. These hard-working mothers, daughters and wives take a break from their everyday routines for a luxurious lesson on putting themselves first.

Choosing the winners was not an easy task. Nearly 50,000 people sent in stories to O, The Oprah Magazine explaining why they wanted to participate in this life-changing journey. "One woman was raped while holding her 2-year-old daughter on her lap. ... Another woman, her mother died on her wedding day," Gayle says. "We had a woman who had quadruplets and already had two children."

For many of the selected women, the trip to Miraval is about more than manicures and massages. The week with Oprah and Gayle is full of challenging activities that put them to the test mentally and physically—not to mention a few much-needed laughs!